Governmental  Reorganiza- 
tion in  Illinois 


By 
JOHN  A.  FAIRLIE 

Director  of  the  Efficiency  and  Economy  Committee,  State  of  Illinois 


Reprinted  from  The  A?nerican  Political  Science  Review, 
Vol.  IX,  No.  2,  May,  IQ15 


UNIVERSITY  OF 

ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 

AJ  URBA^JA-CHA^APAlG^i 


UIW9Y 

Of  THE 


Reprinted  from  The  Ausbican  Poutical  Science  Review,  Vol.  IX,  No.  2,  May,  1915 


GOVERNMENTAL  REORGANIZATION  IN  ILLINOIS' 

JOHN   A.   FAIRLIE 

Director  of  the  Efficiency  and  Economy  Committee,  State  of  Illinois 

In  its  broad  outlines  the  state  government  of  Illinois  re- 
sembles that  of  most  of  the  American  States — but  with  the  most 
recent  tendencies  as  yet  only  slightly  developed.  The  present 
state  constitution,  adopted  in  1870,  illustrates  the  poUtical 
ideas  prevalent  in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century — the 
election  of  all  classes  of  public  officials,  the  disintegration  of  the 
executive  branch  of  the  government,  and  the  distrust  of  the 
legislature,  and  the  provisions  of  this  constitution  are  stereo- 
typed by  an  amending  article  under  which  alterations  have 
proved  almost  impossible.  There  has,  however,  been  an  in- 
creasing development  of  administrative  authorities,  created  by 
statute,  and  added  one  to  another  with  almost  no  attempt  at 
systematic  organization.  From  1909  to  1913,  there  were  not 
less  than  34  new  state  offices,  boards  and  commissions  estab- 
lished, and  the  total  number  of  such  executive  agencies  is  now 
approximately  130. 

Under  the  present  arrangements,  there  is  no  correlation 
between  related  offices,  and  httle  or  no  effective  supervision; 
there  is  no  budget  system  and  no  adequate  accounting  system. 
As  a  result  the  public  administration  is  inefficient  and  wasteful; 
it  fails  to  furnish  the  general  assembly  with  satisfactory  advice 
on  legislation;  and  there  is  no  clearly  defined  responsibiUty  for 
the  conduct  of  public  affairs;  appropriations  and  expenditures 
have  been  rapidly  increasing,  the  appropriations  in  1913  for  two 
years  amounting  to  nearly  $38,000,000. 

Passing  over  isolated  and  minor  efforts,  there  are  two  distinct 
and  important  projects  now  actively  before  the  state  and  the 

'-  A  paper  read  at  the  eleventh  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Political  Sci- 
ence Association. 


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GOVERNMENTAL   REORGANIZATION    IN    ILLINOIS  253 


coming  session  of  the  general  assembly  involving  extensive  and 
fundamental  changes  in  governmental  organization.  One  is  the 
definite  series  of  proposals  of  an  efficiency  and  economy  commit- 
tee, created  at  the  last  session  of  the  general  assembly,  for  the 
reorganization  of  state  administration.  The  other  is  the  propo- 
sition for  a  convention  to  revise  the  state  constitution. 

ADMINISTRATIVE    REORGANIZATION 

The  efficiency  and  economy  committee  consists  of  four  mem- 
bers of  each  house,  and  was  organized  to  make  a  general  investi- 
gation of  the  nmnerous  state  boards,  commissions  and  bureaus 
established  by  statute,  with  a  view  to  consoUdating  and  reor- 
ganizing them  so  as  to  promote  greater  economy  and  efficiency. 
The  report  of  this  committee  is  now  ready  for  submission  to  the 
general  assembly;  and  it  is  my  purpose  here,  to  discuss  briefly 
some  of  the  methods  of  the  committee,  and  the  general  principles 
of  its  proposals. 

As  a  basis  for  its  work  the  committee  has  had  prepared  a 
survey  of  the  administrative  authorities  and  services  of  the  state, 
with  comparisons  of  conditions  in  other  states  and  countries.  A 
series  of  reports  on  different  groups  of  administrative  agencies 
has  been  made — largely  by  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois — forming  it  is  believed  the  most  comprehensive 
study  ever  made  of  the  organization,  powers  and  duties  of  the 
executive  administration  of  any  state  government.  These  will 
be  published  as  appendices  to  the  committee's  report. 

Following  the  submission  and  consideration  of  these  reports, 
a  series  of  tentative  plans  of  reorganization  were  approved;  and 
a  preliminary  report  outlining  the  general  scheme  was  published. 
These  plans  were  then  further  discussed,  at  a  series  of  public 
hearings  held  in  Chicago  and  Springfield,  with  public  officials, 
representatives  of  associations  and  other  citizens,  resulting  in 
some  modifications  of  the  tentative  plans.  Later  meetings  of 
the  committee  have  been  given  to  formulating  its  report,  and  the 
consideration  of  bills  to  carry  out  the  reorganization  proposed. 

As  a  result  of  this  procedure,  the  plans  recommended  form  a 
comprehensive  and  related  series,  covering  the  whole  field  of 


254  THE   AMERICAN    POLITICAL    SCIENCE   REVIEW 

state  administration,  as  created  and  regulated  by  statute.  These 
plans  have  been  based  on  a  detailed  study  of  the  existing  authori- 
ties and  their  present  powers  and  duties;  and  they  thus  present 
what  may  be  caUed  a  "practical"  program,  rather  than  a  purely 
ideal  scheme  of  state  organization  and  activities.  This  does 
not  mean  that  the  recommendations  are  limited  to  those  which 
can  be  easily  enacted  into  law  at  once.  It  means  that  the 
plans  have  been  prepared  with  reference  to  existing  conditions, 
and  that  they  are  adapted  to  prompt  adoption  and  execution. 
No  extensive  changes  have  been  proposed  in  the  substantive 
law;  although  in  some  cases  the  existing  legislation  has  been 
consolidated  and  simplified  in  the  bills  to  be  presented. 

The  plans  presented  propose  the  organization  of  the  state 
administrative  services  into  a  series  of  ten  principal  executive 
departments,  as  follows : 

Finance,  education,  charities  and  corrections,  public  works, 
labor  and  mining,  agriculture,  health,  trade  and  commerce, 
military  affairs  and  law.  A  few  offices  will  remain  outside  of 
these  departments,  as  the  secretary  of  state,  the  civU  service 
commission  and  the  legislative  reference  bureau.  So  far  as 
possible  under  the  present  constitution  these  departments  will 
be  under  the  control  of  officials  appointed  by  the  governor, 
with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  senate;  and  in  each  depart- 
ment will  be  organized  the  several  bureaus  and  offices  dealing 
with  closely  related  public  services. 

Some  variation  in  the  organization  of  the  several  departments 
and  the  powers  of  the  central  authority  has  seemed  better  suited 
to  existing  conditions  than  a  strictly  identical  system  for  all. 
Thus  in  some  departments,  as  agriculture,  labor  and  mining  and 
law,  there  will  be  a  single  official  at  the  head.  In  other  cases, 
as  in  finance,  education  and  charities  and  corrections,  the  gen- 
eral authority  will  be  a  board  or  commission.  But  the  present 
confusing  chaos  of  organization  will  be  materially  simplified. 
Single  officials  are  recommended  for  distinctly  executive  work; 
and  boards  are  proposed  only  for  advisory,  quasi-legislative  and 
quasi-judicial  functions.  The  number  of  boards  will  be  largely 
reduced;  and  the  boards  proposed  will  be  for  the  most  part  com- 


GOVERNMENTAL    REORGANIZATION    IN    ILLINOIS  255 

posed  either  of  unpaid  members,  or  of  members  paid  salaries  for 
full  time  service.  Boards  whose  members  are  paid  for  part 
time  service,  and  provisions  for  the  representation  of  more  than 
one  party  are  disapproved.  Many  of  the  existing  boards  will  be 
abolished,  merged  with  other  authorities,  or  replaced  by  single 
officials. 

Probably  the  most  important  part  of  the  proposed  plan  is  that 
for  the  department  of  finance.  For  this  there  is  recommended  a 
state  finance  conmiission,  composed  of  a  state  comptroller  (as 
chairman),  a  tax  commissioner  and  a  revenue  commissioner, 
appointed  by  the  governor  and  senate,  with  the  elected  auditor 
of  public  accounts  and  state  treasurer  ex-officio.  The  commis- 
sion will  have  general  supervision  over  the  department,  while 
each  official  will  have  important  specific  powers;  and  the  depart- 
ment as  a  whole  will  deal  with  the  assessment  and  collection  of 
revenue,  the  preparation  of  a  budget,  and  control  over  expendi- 
tures, forming  a  more  comprehensive  organization  of  finance 
administration  than  in  any  state  of  this  country  at  the  present 
time. 

The  plans  of  organization  for  the  proposed  departments  will, 
it  is  believed,  provide  for  an  effective  correlation  and  super- 
vision of  state  administration,  and  for  a  comprehensive  budget 
and  system  of  accounts,  which  should  greatly  increase  its  effi- 
ciency, and  bring  about  a  direct  saving  in  expenditures,  estimated 
at  almost  a  miUion  dollars  a  year.  The  new  administrative 
organization  should  also  aid  the  general  assembly  in  connection 
with  legislative  matters  and  should  establish  a  responsible 
system  of  government  in  this  state. 

CONSTITUTIONAL    CONVENTION 

Among  the  serious  obstacles  to  a  thorough  reorganization  of 
state  administration  in  Illinois,  are  the  constitutional  provisons 
for  the  election  of  a  number  of  executive  officers  in  addition 
to  the  governor;  and  a  complete  scheme  of  administrative 
reorganization  will  require  the  amendment  of  the  state  constitu- 
tion.    Several  other  changes  in  the  state  constitution  have  been 


256  THE   AMERICAN    POLITICAL   SCIENCE   REVIEW 

vigorously  urged  for  several  years,  including  an  amendment  on 
taxation,  the  initiative  and  referendum,  the  abolition  of  the 
system  of  cumulative  voting  for  the  house  of  representatives 
and  woman  suffrage.  None  of  these  proposals  have,  however, 
been  submitted,  partly  because  of  a  provision  in  the  present  con- 
stitution, prohibiting  the  amendment  of  more  than  one  article 
of  the  constitution  at  a  time,  which  has  brought  about  a  dead- 
lock between  the  supporters  of  rival  amendments.  This  in  turn 
has  led  to  proposals  for  an  amendment  of  the  amending  article, 
which  has  added  to  the  complexities  of  the  situation. 

A  resolution  to  submit  to  the  people  the  question  of  calling 
a  convention  to  revise  the  state  constitution  was  passed  by  the 
senate  at  the  last  session  of  the  general  assembly ;  but  failed  to 
pass  the  house  of  representatives.  During  the  year  1914 
there  has  been  organized  a  constitutional  convention  league  to 
urge  the  calling  of  a  convention;  and  more  than  the  required 
two-thirds  of  each  house  of  the  1915  general  assembly  are  said 
to  be  committed  to  submitting  the  question  of  calUng  a  convention 
at  the  next  general  election. - 

A  considerable  number  of  amendments  to  the  constitution 
have  been  actively  urged;  and  with  the  present  restrictions  on 
the  adoption  of  amendments  submitted  by  the  general  assembly, 
a  convention  seems  the  most  effective  method  for  securing  these 
changes.  At  the  same  time  it  must  be  admitted  that  no  definite 
program  for  a  general  revision  of  the  constitution  has  thus  far 
been  presented.  If  a  convention  is  to  be  held,  there  is  need 
for  a  large  amount  of  preliminary  study  of  how  the  provisions 
of  the  present  constitution  work  and  of  the  numerous  changes 
proposed  in  this  and  other  States. 

As  a  partial  step  toward  meeting  this  need,  there  has  been 
organized  a  committee  from  the  law  and  poUtical  science  facul- 
ties of  the  University  of  Illinois,  the  University  of  Chicago  and 
'Northwestern  University,  with  others  actively  interested  in  pub- 
lic affairs.     This  "Universities  Committee'  has  undertaken  to 

■  A  joint  resolution  to  submit  the  question  of  calling  a  constitutional  conven- 
tion was  again  passed  by  the  senate  in  March,  1915,  but  again  failed  to  receive 
the  required  two-thirds  vote  in  the  house  of  representatives. 


fiOVKRNMENTAL    REOROANIZATION    IN    ILLINOIS  257 

collect  and  digest  the  materials  needed  for  the  work  of  a  state 
constitutional  convention,  and  to  discuss  and  analyze  various 
proposals  for  constitutional  provisions.  Meetings  have  been 
held  at  intervals  for  about  a  year;  and  it  is  expected  that  these 
studies  will  be  completed  and  the  results  published  and  made 
available  for  the  general  public  and  for  a  convention  if  it  is 
called. 

It  may  also  be  noted  that  the  efficiency  and  economy  committee 
in  its  report  recommends  that  the  general  assembly  provide 
for  a  comprehensive  survey  of  state  and  local  govermnent,  as  a 
basis  for  future  statutory  and  constitutional  changes.  Such  a 
survey  authorized  and  supported  by  the  State,  could  do  much 
to  prepare  the  way  for  a  more  careful  and  scientific  revision  of 
the  state  constitution  than  has  yet  been  undertaken. 


